


For Thine is the Kingdom

by Masterpick



Category: RWBY
Genre: Big Bang Challenge, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-09-06 23:07:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8773048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Masterpick/pseuds/Masterpick
Summary: Military/War AU: Blake Belladonna joined the White Fang to fight for peace. That means both fighting Grimm, protecting Faunus, making (and losing) loved ones along the way. In this AU, how did the White Fang turn from peaceful guardians to mercenaries and guns for hire? How did she find her way onto team RWBY? And how did she fall in love with Yang Xiao Long?





	1. Preview

Between the idea

And the reality

Between the motion

And the act

Falls the **Shadow**

For Thine is the Kingdom

 

Between the desire

And the spasm

Between the potency

And the existence

Between the essence

And the descent

Falls the **Shadow**

For Thine is the Kingdom

-Excerpt from _The Hollow Men_ by T.S. Eliot

 

“Let’s start off with a simple question, for the record. Who are you?”

I blink once at the question, calmly gathering my thoughts. It’s not an odd one to ask.

“My name is Blake Belladonna. Specialist for Vale Special Operations Team 7929. My teammates are Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long. Like them, I am considered a Huntress.” Slowly, I reach down and undo the ribbons around my right wrist, revealing a wolf’s head tattooed in red ink with three red slashes behind it. I continue.

“I used to be a member of the White Fang. I ran just before the Vale Truck Bombing. My partner, in combat and in love, was Adam Taurus. Now, I’m a soldier on the team known as RWBY, and we fight both the Grimm and my old compatriots.”

Glancing down at the curved mug of tea in front of me, I take hold of it and bring it up, gently sipping so that it doesn’t burn my lips.

“So… You want to know more about me. Where I came from. How I met the team. How I fell in love with Yang Xiao Long. How a Faunus is now fighting against the White Fang.” A pause, setting the mug down and looking up at the psychologist in front of me. “Pay attention.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't have specific posting schedule for this... but the chapters are already prepared, and I'll push them out throughout the week.
> 
> A little bit of explanation: this is set in the same AU as Guns and Roses, my main multichapter fic. It's a modern AU, with technologies and physics similar to the real world. However, it's still in Remnant, where the kingdoms are engaged in a war with an enemy known as Grimm. In this AU, the Grimm are real people. Soldiers with guns and explosives. If you like this, please go give Guns and Roses a shot! And if you came here from Guns and Roses, well... enjoy!
> 
> This piece was done for the RWBY Big Bang, and there's art for it on tumblr! ((I'll be linking it in a bit!))

With a blink, the psych starts. “Let’s start with your history. Your… file, if you can even call it that, only shows that you’re originally from Menagerie. No next of kin, no emergency contacts, nothing. This evaluation will go a lot smoother if I knew a bit more about you.”

“With respect, ma’am… I know nothing about you, either. I’m not keen on giving myself and my past out to people I don’t trust.”

“You don’t think you can trust another government employee?”

My pupils narrow to the cat slits that they sometimes do when I feel strong emotions, such as the frustration that bolts through me. This psych is going to be stubborn and I know it. “I’m speaking from experience.”

“Okay, then. Why don’t we start with what I do know? Like… your involvement with the White Fang? How did you first join them?”

...

The day that I joined the White Fang, and left the simple, easy life with my parents in Menagerie...

Honestly, my dad was the leader of the White Fang for a long time. You could say he had a hand in founding it in the first place. By the time I wanted to get in, he had retired and was serving as Chieftain of Menagerie.But the White Fang was still incredibly small. An outlier, as I’d call it.

I was interested. I was excited. I know how weird it sounds… a teenager wanting to be a part of an organization of military contractors and bodyguards. A soldier, basically. But I was 18, and by that time, I was tired of seeing the way the world treated my parents.

I remember the day I told my dad why I wanted to join the group he started. “Dad… back when we lived in Vale for that one year, I saw everything. I remember everything. Like seeing mom come home from work with bruises on her arms, or how  _ tired  _ I was of hearing teenagers call ‘Here, kitty, kitty...’ to us.”

“Blake… you can’t let-“

“I got sick of the way that you had to fumble for excuses for why I couldn’t go into that toy store on the corner, when it’s because I just have a pair of cat ears! And that’s not all of it… there’s so, so much more.” I paused, letting the air settle for a moment. “I want to fight, dad. If I can’t get people’s respect here or in Vale, maybe I can get their respect by fighting out there in the war.”

Growing up like that… it changes you. And to me, being 18 and ready to take on the world… I thought I could make a difference.

Those thoughts bounced around in my head even as I tied my bow to leave my house in the countryside of Menagerie. My parents… when I told them, my mom got really quiet, and stared at me for a long time. She asked me how sure I was about this, and I told her that I was positive. I… don’t know what she thought of it. It was hard to tell her that her daughter was leaving for an unknown amount of time, to go however far away…

My dad, on the other hand... he sat me down and made sure this was what I wanted, and gave me the contacts and information I needed. I left with his blessing, and his reassurance that I could always come back home, and get out of the White Fang.

I specifically remember how…  _ cold  _ it felt that day. Sitting at the back of a travel bus where everyone else was sleeping, just watching raindrops fall… It gave me time to think about how much I wanted this. To be something, to matter, to have some sort of significance in life, whether that be to soldiers in the kingdoms’ militaries, or to people back home who needed a guardian. At that time, the White Fang was this shining beacon or monument, symbolizing the strength of the Faunus. Strength that I hoped I could just maybe add to.

My dad had given me a name. Adam Taurus. According to dad, Adam was one of the best. A great soldier, a natural leader. Someone who cared deeply about his team. The person I’d be answering to for the next few years of my life. I’d meet him at the airport, and fly to Vale from there.

\---

I lean back in the comfy lounge chair that I had set up in the reading nook of my apartment.

“And you jumped into it? Even though your dad gave you the information, did you have any preoccupations or worries?”

I shrug. “Curiosity killed the cat.”

“Only it didn’t, in this case.”

I pick my now lukewarm tea up and finish the last few sips before setting it on the wooden end-table beside me. The end-table, a lavish and expensive piece of carpentry fashioned from cherry, is stacked with books, a few of which I had finished and a few I was still working on. “Ninjas of Love,” one of my favorites, rests on the bottom. In the drawer is my pistol, loaded and ready to fire, with two magazines beside it. The gun isn’t the only one in the apartment.

The apartment itself is very small- just one bedroom, not too far from that airfield in Vale-- Beacon Field. After getting out of the White Fang, I still had a decent sum of money. Even though a lot of my belongings are in the hangar where the rest of RWBY stays, I still have this place to get away to when I want to, or need to. Yang is the only one who knows about it. Maybe I’ll tell the rest of the team when the time is right.

I bring a leg up and rest my ankle on my knee, crossing my legs in a fashion. “In this case, you might say the cat killed its curiosity.”

“Because you don’t trust anyone?”

Underneath, my jaw clenches and I temporarily bite my tongue, hard. On the surface, I shoot a glare at the psych. No, I don’t trust people, except for RWBY.  _ Faunus _ don’t trust people, because that trust has been betrayed more than once in the past. “Ma’am… the place where  _ I grew up _ is called Menagerie. Definition: a collection of wild animals kept in captivity for exhibition. Yeah. I don’t trust anyone except my team.”

“Okay. Sorry. Maybe we’ll talk more about it later. Do... you want to tell me about what happened when you first met Adam? At the airport, I’m guessing?”

...

She’s right. It was at the airport.

Truth be told, I had never been in an airplane before that day. Late afternoon storm clouds threatened with lightning and thunder, making me even more uneasy at the fact that I was getting on some big contraption that just used air and pressure to get off of the ground. That is, if I found this Adam Taurus and actually got onto the right plane.

My dad didn’t give me a location. Or a face. That’s how the White Fang operated at the time- no trails. Not the kind of group to keep records, mainly because they wanted to operate off the grid. Off the radar. I still have no idea how my dad was able to get back into contact with them after so many years away.

Menagerie’s main airport was a pretty large one, especially for its size as an island. Lots of people, both Faunus and human, bustled around me as I just… stood there. Like a clueless idiot. Because I  _ was _ a clueless idiot. I’d never flown before. Where was I supposed to go? What were all those signs?

I first met Adam just as a voice at my side. “Lost, darling?”

I looked beside me and saw a tall bull Faunus, looking over the papers and documentation I had in my hand. Hearing the word ‘darling’ made me blush slightly. “Um… yeah….”

“Then you’re the one. Follow me, and stay close.”

I looked up at him as he started to walk away. He had horns that ran along with his head. Red hair. A long, black jacket that slickly fit his body. It had red markings, and was complemented with a bright red shirt underneath. To be honest, I found him intimidating at first. The way he walked, how he scanned the rooms and everyone he was passing… it was all meticulous. Calculating. But also relaxed, as if he’d been doing this his whole life.

I didn’t even confirm that it was Adam. I just… followed. I was curious. “Where exactly are we going?”

“Security. You’ve never flown before, have you?”

We weaved through crowds of people at the airport, and that’s when I noticed how  _ quiet _ it was. Humans talking in hushed voices to other humans in groups, Faunus doing the same. There was still the ambient noise of tickets being scanned and bags rolling on carpet or tiled linoleum, but… no conversations. I’ve always embraced the Faunus traits that my parents gave me, such as night vision, higher reflexes, and advanced hearing. That day, though, I folded my ears against my head and tried to shut out everything I heard from the human groups.

He sighs, noticing my ears drop under my bow. “Listen… You’ve done a good job so far hiding those ears of yours, and obviously Ghira thinks very highly of you. You’ve got a lot of work, though. Just because you’re Ghira’s daughter doesn’t make you an automatic shoe-in. So let’s start simple. Hide your eyes, hide the scent, and not look like an abandoned kitten when you’re around people who look down on Faunus. You’ve got until we get to the plane to show me you can do that, or you’re not getting on. I can’t let you endanger what we’re doing, here.”

In that moment, I had a wake-up call. It’s not that anything changed, but my teenage brain realized that what I was doing was  _ real _ .

Damn it… that sounds wrong. Not what I’m trying to say. I’ve read a ton of books, but telling my own story… it’s hard.

Either way, I decided that I couldn’t go back home and watch my parents live while everyone thought of them as lesser beings. This organization-  _ the White Fang _ \- was going to be my future. The Faunus’s future.

\---

“So… you impressed him? What happened?”

I shake my head, standing up and grabbing our tea cups. I walk it in to the small kitchen in my apartment, setting them both down on the counter. “Do you want any more tea?”

“I want to know more about you, Blake.”

“And I want to know if you want more tea. So tell me.”

She cocks her head at me. Her eyes search mine, which are iced over against any search she tries. Her brow furrows, and she gives in, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose. “Sure. Hit me.”

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's a slow first chapter... but.... thoughts?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I caved. It's only been two days, and here's the chapter. Hope you all like it!
> 
> Link to art is here: http://r3ally-bad-artblog.tumblr.com/post/157757680796/so-i-did-a-piece-for-the-rwby-big-bang-for

“So, help me out, Blake. A lot of people across Remnant, Vale in particular, view the White Fang as terrorists. Like activists and zealots willing to kill for what they want-”

She stops cold when my gaze suddenly shifts from a picture of Yang-- taken last year during the holidays, resting on my kitchen countertop- to her. 

Her eyes dart away from mine, searching for whatever words she’s going to come up with next. “I’m not saying that’s what I think. Help me understand.”

Fair enough. She’s not going to get anything useful until she categorizes me from my past. Just like everyone used to categorize Faunus because they have animal traits.

“What would  _ you _ call the White Fang when you were in it with Adam and everyone else? Mercenaries? Freedom fighters? Soldiers of fortune? Contractors?”

“I’ll stop you there.” I cross the apartment,  gazing out of the sliding glass doors that lead to the balcony. That balcony was one of the reasons I picked this particular apartment. 

No, not because of the view. Because of how close to the ground we were. Because of the decorative trees, narrow streets, and darker sidewalks. If I needed to, I could dash out of here and vanish. Without a trace.

I let out a sigh. “Most of the things we did aren’t on file or on record anywhere. We’ve had a lot more influence than you think.”

“So enlighten me.” She leans forward, elbows on her knees in a position that appears attentive. I’ve seen that trick used by counselors and shrinks all over the place.

…

“Blake, lean forward a little. Act like you’re interested on your little date there.” Adam’s voice echoed in my earpiece.

I responded to him, low enough that my voice could get lost in the ambient conversation going on in the outdoor cafe around me. My tea cup came up by my mouth as if to sip as I reply, shielding me from anyone who might be out of earshot but able to read lips. “You say that like we’re being watched.” I brushed a lock of black hair out of my face, and tucked it behind the sunglasses I donned before leaving my charge’s home earlier that morning.

Adam gave me a little half-chuckle on the other end. “The only one watching you, my darling, is me.” A pause. I didn’t say anything, prompting him to continue. “Relax. We’re not expecting trouble.”

I sipped the bitter liquid, keeping the tea cup there again. “I’d feel a lot safer if we weren’t next to this road like sitting ducks. Especially around all of these civilians.” 

I’d been to this cafe before-- it was one that my ‘date’ loved to frequent. That was another thing that put me on edge. Anyone trying to stay inconspicuous will tell you that patterns make you predictable. Being predictable is what gets you killed.

Clear glass tables and simple metal chairs scattered the curbside area. A waitress asked a family if they’re doing okay. Behind me, a car started up with fast, easy cranks. The umbrella beside my table was folded up, unlike some of the other ones. I liked the warm sun against my dark hair and black slacks. But that was not the time to relax.

It was the time to be alert. Focus on as much as I could around me. The scent of coffee flooded the air, effectively cutting off the heightened sense of smell that my Faunus heritage gave me. The movement of cafe staff and gentle flow of civilians on the sidewalk blocked my vision. Under my bow, my cat ears twitched: listening and waiting for any sign of trouble. For the moment, there was none, but my client hadn’t hired me to be a companion for his son. He hired me to be his son’s bodyguard.

For once, I glanced at the young man sitting across the table from me. He was just a teenager, 18 years old in a month. About my age when my parents said goodbye, and I joined the White Fang. 

Two and a half years had passed since that day...

“Enjoying your tea?” He glances up over the book that he’s reading. Bright golden eyes. Spiked green hair with the sides trimmed short in a crew cut. A bit larger than average build for his age.

I leaned back in my chair, my hand slipping down against my waist to subtly shift the pistol that I had concealed against my hip. I left my long white coat unfastened in the front, but its folds were more than enough to cover my clench piece and its holster. On the other side were two kydex magazine pouches. I wore them to balance out the weight of the pistol on my belt more than anything. If I ever got into a gunfight out here, in this setting, and needed two extra magazines… something would be  _ very _ wrong.

“It’s good. I’ve never tried this exact blend before.” I pulled the sunglasses off my face and set them down on the table next to the porcelain tea cup. 

He smiled, easing forward to rest his elbows on the edge of the table. His face reflected genuine interest, but whether it was in me or the book or the tea, I couldn’t tell. “Glad I could recommend it. Also glad that you talk… none of your teammates ever said a word to me.”

I looked over my shoulder, and around the cafe again. Out of habit, my cup comes back up to shield my lips. “Well, most of the time when people come to outdoor cafes like this, they talk. A group that isn’t talking is a dead giveaway.”

“Huh. I never would have thought about that, even with all of the action books I read.” His eyes started to fall back down to the pages, eager to keep reading and following along with his story. I’d seen that look before. That book must have been good...

“What’s that one about?” I was momentarily intrigued. Books were something him and I had in common, and I didn’t even bother to figure out which one he’s reading. It was a hardcover with the covering removed, so I couldn’t tell what the title was. I set the cup and tray down. This was normal conversation. Not crucial information that I needed to shield.

He starts to grin when I ask. “It’s about a man with two souls…” 

Recognition dawned in my eyes, and I couldn’t help but shoot a smile of my own back at him. “I read that one when I was younger. I won’t spoil it.”

“Blake. Quit talking to him and do your job.” Adam barks at me in my earpiece.

I bring a hand up to mimic scratching my nose as I reply. This time, my hand is the thing shielding my lips. “You heard what I said. Two people who aren’t talking are conspicuous.” 

“That won’t matter if someone slips a dose of ricin into his drink while you’re busy fantasizing about books.”

“I know about poisons, Adam. My last name  _ is _ Belladonna.”

“Get back to work.”

“Fine.”

The boy... he liked to go by Sage. Sage Ayana. Said that’s what his friends called him because of his hair. He cocked an eyebrow at me. He couldn’t hear Adam, which probably made it seem like I was talking to myself. “What’s going on? Did someone poison me?”

“No, Sage. Nothing you need to worry about.” I couldn’t help but smile a bit at his reaction to my mention of poison.

He nodded slowly, reaching forward to take another sip of his mug of coffee. It was a personalized mug with the logo of the Atlas Eagles, an ice hockey team. He swirls it, looking into the brown liquid before bringing it to his lips. “I really liked the part where the man’s souls started fighting, if you remember it.”

I definitely remembered it. It was the climax of the book. “I liked that part, too.” Since he was asking me about that, he had to be close to the end of the book. 

“I heard that there’s a sequel out. I think they called-”

He stopped speaking when I suddenly stood up. I could hear it, but I wasn’t sure if he could. The faint squeal of tires. An engine speeding up, with the throttle wide open.  _ And I knew exactly where it was coming from. _

After I didn’t say anything, he stood, too, just in time for me to grab his forearm and yank him,  _ hard _ , around the table and past me. I shoved him even farther, and not a moment later an SUV crashed through the decorative fence beside where we had been sitting a moment before.

“Holy hell!” He cried as people scatter away from the SUV. Some dove to the ground. But they were all screaming. Mugs and tea cups crashed to the ground. The odor of burning rubber accented the ugly cacophony of panic.

I felt my eyes narrow to cat slits when I took his wrist and pulled him with me to get away. There was an exit on the other side of the cafe- through the restaurant. Any other vehicles wouldn’t be able to follow us. We had a chance to leave without a trace, depending on how many of them there were. But there was no doubt in my mind that they knew which car was ours, and that they were expecting us to head towards it.  _ Being predictable is what gets you killed. _

I dashed for the main doors, keeping Sage in tow. He gave me a lot of resistance… but that only meant I pulled him that much harder. Everybody else seemed to trying to get  _ out _ of the indoor half of the cafe.

As I pushed through the crowd… I saw the look of panic of their faces. I saw mothers and fathers pick up their kids and run. I smelled smoke mixed with the hot white steam of boiling coolant from the truck. For all they knew, everyone around me was just trying to get away from a potential explosion caused by a freak accident, but I knew better.

“Ow… hey!” Sage dug his heels in once we were in the small kitchen towards the back of the cafe. “What’s going on?”

The kitchen-- if you could even call it a kitchen- was set up in a rectangle. The swinging door was at the corner, with a large sink and drain on the wall beside it. A prep island stood in the center, with stovetops and griddles on the wall opposite the door. 

Even the cooks left in a hurry when they heard the crash of the accident. Burners were still on, the smell of overcooked eggs and burnt toast just starting to waft to my nostrils. A plate with a small sandwich sat on the prep island, waiting to go to its table.

I shrugged my coat off, tossing it aside. Getting to my gun would be much quicker now. I kept my eyes trained on the swinging doors to the kitchen even as I replied to him. “That car was meant to take you out, but they never counted on a Faunus hearing it first..”

“But it could’ve been an accident.”

For once, I let my gaze meet his. I saw the flash of fear in his eyes. Maybe from how my human-like amber eyes were still cut into the slits of a cat. “Trucks don’t speed up when they’re about to run through cafes.”

Realization dawned on his face. His eyes go wide as he looks down at his hands. “So… people are trying to kill me? Why?”

“Because of who your parents are and what they’ve been trying to do for Faunus rights.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

His eyes come up to meet mine when I reply. “I’m here to make sure that does not happen.”

“What do I do?”

“You stick close to me. Do what I say, and go where I tell you. If something happens to me, you run and get away. Don’t pick up my gun and try to fight.” My mention of ‘something happening to me’ was matter-of-fact. No emotion, something that… sometimes piles up after the mission, once the nerves and adrenaline wear off.

Voices. The pounding footsteps of boots outside, on the other side of the door. I placed my hand over his mouth, and the other on the grip of my pistol, ready if anything came through the door at that moment. 

A male voice, just on the other side of the door, called out, “Fan the area and check adjacent buildings. I’ve got the kitchen.”

Just one guy. My grip relaxed on my pistol, falling to the knife I kept inside my boot. The matte black metal starkly contrasted the shining pots and pans of the kitchen. I let go of Sage’s mouth, putting a finger to my lips as I readied myself beside the door.

The first thing I saw was his gun barrel. Clearing the corner opposite me. He knew what he was doing, but I was better. I rushed forward, grabbing the gun barrel to keep it away from me. He jumped in surprise, and I took that opportunity to spin behind him and rake my blade across his throat.

…

“Wait… you just killed him? Right in front of a teenage boy?”

“Yes. You know what would’ve happened if I didn’t.” I’m still standing in the same spot by the glass door of my balcony. I haven’t turned to look at the psych since the start of the story.

“Did you feel any remorse doing it? Regret at having to kill another human being?” I hear her shift in her chair, followed by the faint sound of a pen twirling in her fingers.

“No.” I purse my lips, remembering the ways that I’ve had to explain this in the past. I look over my shoulder at her, catching her looking at her notes. “Have you ever been in combat before?”

She blinks once at the question. “Can’t say I have… But I’ve talked to enough soldiers with PTSD from their experiences.”

I come back to looking out through the glass. Two hummingbirds come to drink from the feeder that Yang had set up when I first bought the apartment. “Everybody reacts differently. I go numb. Some people call it ‘flipping the switch.’ You don’t think, you just do what you’re trained to do. Stream of consciousness.” I slightly lower my gaze, my hand coming up so I can examine the White Fang tattoo on my wrist. 

I wait, almost expecting the psych to say something, but she stays quiet.

“The best soldiers in my field are the ones with the best instinct and foresight.” A pause, as I recall more of what happened that day with Sage. “At the same time, some of the best soldiers are simply the luckiest.”

I turn around, watching her set her notes aside and pinch the bridge of her nose. “Blake… do you remember the look on Sage’s face when he saw you do it?”

I nod at her. “Yes. Very well, actually.”

…

I eased the man’s body to the floor, not wanting the thump of him hitting the ground to alert any of his compatriots who could still be in the indoor half of the cafe.

I glanced up at my charge as I stowed my knife in my boot again. His hand was across his mouth, as if he was trying to hold back the urge to vomit. I used to be that way; I’d get queasy whenever I saw trauma. He was just… frozen there. Like a deer in headlights.

“Let’s go. We have to keep moving.” I rushed over to him and reached for his wrist again. He backed away from me, looking up at me with fear and panic radiating from his eyes.

“Hey.” I reached up, much slower this time, to place my hand on his shoulder. He shied away again. “He would’ve killed us if I didn’t.”

No response. He just looked down at the specks of blood on my hands. His own were starting to shake. 

“Sage, if-”

“Blake. Talk to me.” Adam’s voice was urgent in my earpiece.

“In the cafe kitchen. We can’t make it to the car. We’re going to try to make it out through the back alleyway.” As I replied to Adam, Sage’s eyes flitted back to the dead body on the floor. However, my hand fell to his shoulder, and this time he didn’t pull back.

“What? We don’t have surveillance back there. You need to push back to the car.”

“We wouldn’t be able to make it. They already have men inside.” I squeeze Sage’s shoulder, trying to pull his attention away from the man I just killed. He looks at me again, this time attempting to close the distance between us. He was still scared… but he knew I could get him out.

Adam’s next line came more as a snarl. “If anything happens, it’s your fault.”

I held my breath, a knot in my stomach starting to churn. I felt uneasy.  _ Alone _ . Adam was angry at my actions, even though I took the right path. But perhaps he was right. If we were in the car right then… Sage would be safer than in the middle of our attackers. Nothing I could do about it then, though.

I took Sage’s wrist, and led him through a door on the opposite side of the kitchen. The way to the back alley was through a storeroom, filled with two pallets that could only be holding coffee beans and tea leaves. When we walked in, I shut the lights off. If anyone tried to stop us in there, my Faunus night vision would have given me the advantage.

We weaved the dozen yards through the room before we came to the door leading outward, adjacent to a roll up garage door that I could only assume they would use for offloading supplies. I opened the smaller door slowly, keeping Sage out of the door until I was sure everything was clear.

“We go this way. Stay close.” I let go of his wrist, and for once, he responded to me.

“Okay. I’ll follow you.”

I opened the door all the way, expecting to receive a bullet at any moment. I wasn’t the target, though. He was.

The alleyway wasn’t very big, but it was wide enough to drive through. On my right was a chainlink fence separating the cafe’s property from its adjacent neighbor. My left led to the main street, with a large green dumpster resting on the opposite side from the cafe. I walked outside, and pulled the bow out of my hair. I could hear better with it off.

I stayed close to the wall, looking behind me and above me for any sign of our attackers. Off in the distance, I heard the echo of sirens, but in the city, it would still take at least ten minutes for them for them to get to us.

A vehicle drove by the alleyway, on the street. I specifically remember the color… black. Gloss black. The next thing I knew, tires were squealing.  _ They were coming back. _

Headlights glared at me when I saw it turn down the alley. Its engine revved, and it started speeding towards us.

Spikes of adrenaline surged through me, but I had been trained to quell those nerves. It’s funny… I remember all of it so specifically, like it was yesterday.

My first thought was Sage. I pushed, practically threw him over to the other side of the street, behind the dumpster. He would be safe from the car there.

Muscle memory guided my hand down to the pistol on my hip. I drew it with record speed, slapped my other hand into a firm hold on the grip, and squeezed the trigger. I didn’t aim the first shot, which made a shower of sparks fly up off of the hood. The next shot was deliberate, though. I put the three dots of the gunsight on the driver’s head. Pulled the trigger, then dove to my right with as much force and speed as I could manage.

Faunus reflexes prevailed. Even though the SUV started swerving towards me when I dove out of the way, I was faster. It smashed into the wall of the alley.

My heartrate pounded in my ears, and I knew I was breathing faster, my mouth open. But I looked around for Sage, keeping my gun trained on the car. 

He wasn’t on my side of the dumpster, and the thought flashed through my head as to if he got away or not. Relief washed over me when I saw him looking at me from the other side of the dumpster. He was safe for the moment. 

I didn’t have any time to rest or catch my breath. The rear door facing me opened, and a woman slightly taller than I was rushed out. I didn’t shoot her immediately because I didn’t see the pistol she had behind her. In fact, I was focusing on her eyes. They were red. Like garnet gemstones. I was temporarily mesmerized by them, stunned at how deep yet penetrating they were...

I know now that she was a snake Faunus. I never believed the rumors that a cobra’s garnet gaze could trap people not prepared for it. But now I do.

Her hand swung up, and that’s when I saw the gun. I didn’t need to think about it. I saw the threat, and reacted. Pulled the trigger. My pistol went off. She stumbled backwards, but her gun was still pointed at me. I shot again, and this time she dropped it, falling onto her back with both hands clutching her chest.

Behind me, I heard Sage gasp. I glanced back at him, and saw that his cheeks were wet with tears.

I backed up behind the dumpster, pushing him as low as I could to get him out of the line of fire.

“Adam, another one of those cars just tried blowing us away in the alley.” My voice was faster than it needed to be, and I knew it. I was getting too flustered, too worked up. Sometimes, adrenaline speeds up the body, but not the mind. I took three deep breaths in succession, willing my heartrate to go down. It would steady my aim, and help me focus. “Where are you?”

“Damn it, Blake. We’re on our way to you.” He was out of breath, like he was running. “Hang in there.”

I didn’t respond because I saw shadows on the other side of the crashed car. A door swinging open. Someone’s feet as they step outside. Make that two sets of feet. I shot three times at the windows, hoping a bullet or two would find their way through, and I’d get lucky.

_ They _ were the lucky ones. I saw one move towards the front of the car, and one towards the back. This was a problem… I only had three rounds left in the current magazine.

Both heads peeked out at the same time, and everything seemed to explode all at once. I shot twice at the man at the front, looking over the hood. Or… maybe it was a woman. I really wasn’t paying attention to gender at the time. What I do know is that he or she ducked as soon as I shot, and sparks showered me as their rounds hit the dumpster.

I, too, ducked behind cover and reached to my waist for a fresh magazine. I pressed the release to jettison the mag in the gun, and tried to stab the new one home. My hands… they were shaking. Adrenaline? A bit of fear? I slowed down. I found my mark and jammed the magazine into the grip, hearing the telltale click that meant it was secure.

I leaned out from beside the dumpster, this time only a fraction so that only the guy at the back of the crashed car could have a shot at me. I shot again, maybe three or four times, watching my bullets put jagged holes into the sheet metal of the car. At one point, I blew out the tail light and shattered the pavement with bits of red and white plastic.

I saw his shadow drop down to a knee. Had I wounded him? Did one of the bullets make it through the car? 

Tunnel vision. For that moment, all I could think about was that one guy. I didn’t notice the other person make their way toward the rear of the car. I didn’t know he, she, whatever was there until I had two guns looking at me, and I felt the heat of a round pass right by my cheek and tug at my hair.

I shot, too, but I was so immediately flustered at the near miss that none of them counted for anything. I might as well have been throwing rocks.

You want to know what else I failed to do? Watch my back. I was looking down into the alley, fighting with my attackers, when for all I knew, there could’ve been ten more behind me to kill myself and Sage.

That fact dawned on me the moment I heard gunfire behind me. Pistols, from the sound of it. Faunus hearing gives you the ability to pick out minute differences in noises like gunshots.

When I looked over my shoulder, I was prepared to see another gun pointed at me. But I couldn’t have been more relieved. Adam, my partner, walking up behind me with his pistol drawn. The Lieutenant beside the corner of the building towards the street, poised with his own gun resting against the wall. 

I heard both of them shoot, not minding how the rounds were going past me. I relaxed. Kept Sage close. I only heard two more gunshots from my attackers, which were followed by a volley from my two teammates. The slump of bodies falling to the ground echoed through the alleyway shortly after.

“Clear,” Adam declared as he walked up to the crashed SUV. 

I stood, after setting my pistol on the ground. I put my hand out to Sage to help him up, and once again, I noticed how much my hand was shaking. I was trying to keep still, but my muscles wouldn’t obey.

He took it, and I hauled him to his feet. Almost instantly he latched onto me, his arms tightly around my chest. He buried his face into my neck. I felt dampness against my skin after a moment.  _ He was crying. _

“Thank you… thank you so much…”

I… didn’t know what to do. I never wanted to get close and emotional with the people I was guarding. But… they’d never done this before. I’d never been in a situation even remotely close to this before. 

I thought back to what my mom used to do when I cried on her like this. I remembered how soothing her voice was, how warm she felt. What would she do?

One of my hands came up around Sage’s shoulders, the other one into his hair, gently carding my fingers through it. “It’s okay. You’re safe. They can’t hurt you.”

“I thought I was going to die....” He drew in a breath, more of a sniffle as I squeezed him a little tighter.

“You’re okay, though. That’s why I’m here.” I looked up, seeing the Lieutenant shoot me a look of disapproval. He was walking towards me. My gaze back at him was pleading.  _ Let him be. _ Sage just needed to come off of the emotions, not get ripped away from the woman who saved his life.

Minutes went by before he calmed down. He pulled away just as Adam emerged from the cafe, carrying the white jacket I discarded in the kitchen. “Blake. Time to go.”

Sage willingly pulled away from me when Adam told me that. “You’ll be back again, right?”

“I’ll try, Sage.” I gave him one more gentle squeeze before letting go. Adam handed me my coat, and I slid it on after picking my pistol and magazine off the ground to reholster them. I made no attempt to conceal them this time. I stayed with Adam while the Lieutenant took Sage away, out of the alley. Presumably to his parent’s house in the suburbs of Vale.

“What the hell were you thinking, Blake?”

The question caught me off guard. I was watching Sage leave the alley when he asked. “What do you mean?”

He suddenly cornered me against the wall, his face less than a foot away from mine. I could see the anger in his eyes. His hot breath on my cheeks. “If we have to use our weapons, it means something is wrong. You could’ve made it to the car. Blended in while following the crowd.”

“I…” I stuttered. I felt small. Vulnerable, pressed up against the green paint and starting to sweat due to the heat coming off of the wall. “I thought Sage would be safer if-”

My head jerked to the side from the heated sting of an open-handed slap. I cried out, my hand instinctively coming up to my cheek.

Adam was relentless, raising his voice. “Because of that, we have at least five people dead that  _ we _ are responsible for. You put Sage in  _ more _ danger by not getting him to the car. That’s all on you, Blake. That’s not how we operate, and it’s very, very bad for our reputation, and the image of the Faunus. We’ve fought hordes of Grimm before, like when we lost Hawk. This was pathetic.”

I couldn’t find the words to respond. My breaths were coming quick but short. My hand was still against my cheek, my eyes averted away from him.

“Are you even listening to me?” His hand reeled back again to strike me again, and both of my arms shot out to shield my face from another blow.

…

“Wait… you two were in love? And he just struck you like that?”

I slowly make my way back to my lounge chair and take a seat, leaning backwards but still looking away from her. “It wasn’t the first time. When I fell in love with him, he was a natural leader. A man anyone would follow into combat.” 

“That’s not the person you just told me about in the story, though.” I feel her gaze on me, looking for any subtle change in body language. Adam is a touchy subject for me, and… concealing emotions can be tough.

I shift in my chair. “He changed over time. It was subtle at first. Things happened, and he let his passion for the Faunus and overbearing care for his teammates warp him. I…I’m not even sure what happened, to be honest.” I close my eyes and let out a breath, fighting back all the memories of his abuse.

Her voice drops in volume. “I’m so sorry, Blake...”

My eyes stay closed. “I didn’t ask for your sympathy. It’s one of the reasons why I ran, and I’m better for it.”

I open my eyes in time to see her nod and scribble a note down on her pad of paper. As her sight comes back to me, she gently shakes her flip a small section of hair back over her shoulder. “Anything else you’d like to tell me?”

I think for a moment, then shake my head. “No. Not today.”

She smiles at me. “Okay. Then… we’ll do our next session tomorrow? You pick the place.”

In all honesty, I didn’t care where we met up. “How about right here again? At 9 in the morning?”

“Perfect.” She stands up, gathering her things into a brown satchel and throwing it over her shoulder. I stand as well, forcing a smile across my face for the moment and shaking her hand. She turns sharply, heading towards the door and brushing a lock of hair from her face. With the open and close of my main apartment door, I’m alone once again.

I let out a long breath, and walk over into my kitchen. The long marble countertop was decorated with little tokens of my significant other. The picture of her from last year. The plastic replica gauntlet from an anime we both liked. A painting from one of those “wine and art” places that we did together. There’s more, each little piece bringing back a specific memory of Yang.

Currently, Yang’s on a mission to Mistral with the rest of RWBY. I had to stay behind for this psych evaluation… Yang told me that she’d call me at some point tonight whenever she had a moment free. I pull my scroll out of my back pocket and set it on the counter, ready for whenever she called.

From there, I walk over to the end-table with the books stacked, and open the drawer containing my pistol. It’s one of many that I own, but its small size makes it the most comfortable to carry day-to-day. Also the easiest to conceal wherever I want to. I slid the holster into my belt, and the pistol just after. I take a moment to look out of the sliding glass door again, and draw the blinds. Even though it’s not terribly late, I’m starting to button up the apartment for the night.

I’m about to slide the chain and deadbolt into place when I hear my scroll buzzing on the countertop. I close the distance and answer it, pressing the button to put it on speaker.

“Hey, kitten!” It’s Yang. Something about her voice always lightens my mood. For the first time today, I smile genuinely. 

“Hi there... How’s Mistral?” 

“Too small for my liking. And too much activity, even with the mission happening tomorrow.” She pauses. I hear the sound of Ruby and Weiss talking in the background, with raised voices to project over… helicopters, maybe? “How’d the psych eval go?”

“It… it’s not completely over.”

I know that Yang can hear, practically sense, my hesitation. “She asked about the White Fang, didn’t she?”

I bring a hand up to pinch the bridge of my nose. Yang helps me relax, and she knows about my past… but that doesn’t make the memories any easier to come to grips with. “Yeah. She… she wants to know more about Adam. I told her about Sage. It was tough to talk about...”

Yang’s confident, cheery tone dropped half an octave into her serious, ‘listen to me’ mode. “You’re not with them anymore, and you don’t have to talk about Adam if you don’t want to.”

The lump in my throat hardens. “Yeah… I-”

Her voice transitions to calm and soothing. “Shhh… Take tonight for yourself. Go change into your yukata, pour yourself a brandy, and grab a book. Go to bed early tonight if you want.” I hear her put the phone down to shout something incoherent to me at Ruby and Weiss. “And finally… pretend I’m there.”

I purse my lips and sigh, leaning forward to rest my elbows on the countertop as I start to rub my temples. “I’ll try, Yang.”

“I know you will, Blake. I’ll see you in two days, if we don’t get back early. I’ll call you tomorrow. I love you.”

“I love you too...”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! Here's your next installment of my Big Bang fic!
> 
> I'll admit.... this chapter is a little farfetched, and for the first time... I've actually created an OC that makes a difference in a canon character's life. You'll see. I'd love to talk about it in the comments!

I’m outside on my balcony, leaning against the railing and watching the sun finally start to peek over the Vale skyline. A gentle breeze attempts, but fails, to push my locks of hair over my shoulder. Cars pass under me on the two-lane street. A family of kids and their parents amble out to a sky-blue passenger car. I hear one of the parents mention something about heading to the aquarium..

I hate to eavesdrop… but Faunus hearing makes it hard not to when you can hear and discern  _ everything. _ It’s both a blessing and a curse. But I faintly smile at the kids’-- a pair of twins-- bubbly attitudes. “What’s actually different between a sea lion and a seal? Do they have them there?” one of them says.

Yang and I have talked about maybe adopting a kid or two one day, but… it would be a while. There’s a still a lot of war and conflict to fight before I’d ever consider settling down.

It’s now 9:07. She’s late.

I turn around and step through the doorway, sliding the glass door shut. A speaker system piped throughout my apartment is playing a song that Yang once introduced me to: “Citizen/Soldier” by 3 Doors Down. Music was never something I got into when I was with the White Fang, but… Faunus hearing, combined with Yang’s encouragement, and I can’t get enough of it. Big band swing is by far my favorite genre, but this type of rock is a close second. I can’t get into Yang’s EDM, though.

I hear a gentle knock at the door. Instinctively, my hand shoots up to my hip, where the same pistol I put on yesterday is sitting. Today, I traded out yesterday’s outfit for a pair of dark black jeans and a lacey white and black top. It’s… comfortable, and versatile.

“It’s open.” I speak in a loud, cautious voice. It’s just a habit of mine. When I worked with the White Fang, you never knew who was going to open the door.

Thankfully, it’s the psych. I uncoil, letting my hand relax by my side as I walk over to meet her at the door and close it behind her with a gentle thud.

I see her look me over, her eyes lingering suspiciously on my matte black sidearm. “I, uh… brought you something, if you want it…” She holds up a paper bag. I could smell the freshly baked breakfast pastry as soon as she opened the door. Raspberry filling with… white confectionary icing, I think?

I hate raspberry anything.

“Thanks, but I already ate.” That’s a lie. My stomach is gnawing at me, asking for more than just the half cup of tea I fed it this morning. But the appetite is not enough to make raspberry palatable.

“Oh. Good.” She sets her satchel down on my countertop, pulling out the same pad of paper and a pen that she had yesterday. She quickly scribbles today’s date at the top of a fresh sheet. 

What I notice this time is the glimmer of the pen… it’s a fountain pen. Gold nib, writing with a royal blue ink. The same color that my dad loved to wear. “I figured we could start off where we left off yesterday? Maybe…”

I brace myself. I know what she’s about to ask, and what memories it’s going to bring back.

“...talk about Adam Taurus more? How he changed? What happened to him?”

Bile rises in my throat like a pot on the brink of boiling over. All the times he put me down or  _ struck  _ me are circling me, vultures that never quite threaten you but never leave your mind either.

“What do you want to know?”

“Start at when your group in the White Fang started to change. Did he have some kind of turning point? Something that started the changes?”

…

I’ll try to make a long story short…

It’s sometimes very hard to explain what the White Fang was during the time I was in it. You know we were bodyguards, in a way. We weren’t afraid to shoot, and we weren’t afraid to get shot at. Some of the other things we did were more closely connected with Vale’s military. Ozpin-- he was a Lieutenant Colonel at the time-- called us “Private Military Contractors.” Other people who were less approving of our actions labeled us “Mercenaries.”

I personally don’t care what anybody called us. When people back in Menagerie heard that there was a Faunus-only sort of… special forces group that was helping people and fighting Grimm on the front lines, it made a  _ difference _ . Adam came in with a Vale newspaper with the White Fang plastered all over the front. The headline read “White Fang Heralded as Heroes.” One little boy… he was a deer Faunus with antlers still in velvet… he saw the tattoo on my wrist. Normally I wore that black ribbon to hide my tatt in public, but… He saw through it. Eyes went wide. Called to his mom and pointed at me. He couldn’t have been any older than 7 or 8, and he knew that red logo of a wolf’s head. A symbol that means terrorism today… but to him, back then, it meant heroes.

It was one such ‘mission’ when it happened. It wasn’t the riskiest one we’d ever taken. We were tasked with keeping an eye on a reporter that wanted to get closer to the action of the Grimm war. For us, that meant taking her around in an armored truck while we were in full combat gear. Rifles locked and loaded, combat gear with ceramic plates as body armor, radios connecting us to air assets if we needed it. It was like a loophole for Vale’s military, where since the reporter was following  _ us _ , Vale could deny or disavow anything that they didn’t want the media to know. Not that there was a lot of that, but… you get the picture. Overall, we didn’t mind. Escorting a reporter is better than taking part in a strike force.

The reporter’s name was Penny Polendina. I didn’t think she’d ever been in combat before. In short, she was giddy… her green eyes looking curiously as I strapped a thick, heavy plate carrier to her chest, and loaded it with a duplication of what Adam loved to call a “blow-out kit.” Tourniquets, hemostatic gauze, chest seals… If a bullet found its mark, we’d be able to take care of her.

“Oh, I know how to use these!” She snapped a rigid salute to her eyebrow, and brought it back down dramatically. “I’m combat-ready!” 

Adam stood behind me as I outfitted her. He chuckled, but I don’t think he was amused by her show of enthusiasm. “Ms. Polendina… if they have to be used, you won’t be the one using them. But they won’t, will they, my darling?”

I shook my head. “Not on my watch.” I finished pulling the strap tight by her hip and stood up, giving Penny a tap on the back. 

“Just keep your head down if any shooting actually starts.” The fourth member of our team called out from sitting on the tailgate of our truck. Her words seemed to flit out of her mouth on their own, each one crossing over into the next. It was an accent that you had to get used to.

That was Hawk. An eagle Faunus, and a damn good fighter. She had long, flowing auburn hair that ended in loose curls a few inches below her shoulders. If you were lucky enough to get up close to her, you’d notice the trail of avian feathers at the nape of her neck and continuing up into her hair. She also had better vision than any living being I’d ever seen. You know that old wives’ tale about birds being able to read newspaper print a mile away? She confirmed it.

The squad was made up of four of us at the time, but we didn’t take on one of those four-letter team names that so many of the special forces groups did back in the day. It was Adam, along with Hawk, the Lieutenant, and myself.

I won’t bore you with the details of squad life. What you need know is that we did everything together. Trained, ate, slept, fought when we needed to, all together as a unit. Brothers and sisters. I can still tell you each one’s blood type. And… their favorite guilty-pleasure movie. 

Hawk seemed to take over with Penny once I was done. Penny had a million questions... “Where are we going? Are we going to see Grimm? What’s it like going through combat? Have any of you ever been shot?”

Hawk was a natural. As she smiled and the feathers rose slightly at the nape of her neck, she answered each and every one of them. “No, madam. Nobody’s been shot. We’re going to the south end of Vale, and we very well may see Grimm. But don’t worry, love. We’ll keep you safe.”

Just like that, as Hawk was nudging her to climb into the truck, Penny changed gears. “So… why did you join the White Fang?”

And then… Hawk froze. That’s not something she liked to talk about, especially to people from the outside who she didn’t trust. I was by the driver’s side door at the time, looking through the truck at the reporter. Adam placed a hand on Hawk’s shoulder, pulling her gently backwards to be at his side. “Personal stories are off-limits, Ms. Polendina.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.” Penny glanced down at her hands, causing the pink bow in her hair to swish back and forth.

“We’re moving out soon. Get in.” Adam pointed into the back seat of the truck, still keeping his hand on Hawk’s shoulder. Hawk was looking down at the ground, thick strands of her wavy hair blocking her expression from me. I knew what she was thinking about and reflecting on… but I’m sorry. It’s not my story to share.

As I climbed in and set my rifle in between the front two seats, Adam made his radio call to the commander of the convoy we’d be shadowing. “Wolfpack, Wolfpack, this is Taurus. We’re rolling out now.”

It only took a few moments for the commander to respond, his baritone voice sounding raspy over the comm. “Taurus, Wolfpack. Understood. Recommend you proceed along the secondary route. ISR reported suspicious activity along the primary, but we didn’t confirm anything out of the ordinary. Better safe than sorry.”

Adam seemed to think for a moment as I dropped the truck into gear. “Rog. We’ll head along the secondary and make up as much time as we can to meet you at the rendezvous.”

“Don’t be afraid to cry wolf if you need support.”

“Thanks, but we’re tougher than we look.” Adam tosses the radio microphone up onto the dashboard. “Drive, Blake. We’re taking the secondary. Punch it.”

…

“It sounds like Adam had a lot of confidence in that team of yours…” As I talked through my story, the psych had taken a seat at the spot she had yesterday, crossing her brown knee-high boots.

I’m leaning against the countertop, resting my elbows on the edge. “We all had confidence in ourselves. You have to have both confidence and trust in the team to survive in this line of work.” 

“I’ve heard that before.” She opens a manila envelope, starting to dig through its contents and sort through the different papers. “I will say, though… that none of the reported files dealing with the White Fang say anything about this sort of contracting.”

“That’s because Vale kept us silent. A black op, if you’re feeling dramatic. We never kept records, and they never kept records about us. We came, did our job, and vanished until they needed us again. The only ‘record’ of us actually doing anything were the reporters who published stories on us. So the masses thought they knew who we were, but they didn’t have all of the facts.” I eye the papers.  _ What does Vale have on me? _

“You said there was a reporter with you. Did she put out any kind of press on this particular day?”

As a matter of fact, Penny did publish a story. I push myself off of the edge of the counter, and over to a small wooden filing cabinet sitting beside a walnut desk. There’s one folder I’m looking for, and I pull it out seconds later. Inside is the issue of a newspaper that brings me back to that day.

“Blake?” The psych’s worried gaze glanced between me and the folded black and white print.

I let out a breath, trying not to remember but also forcing myself to let the truth spill out. “It’s here. This… this is what happened.”

…

I held the pedal nearly to the floor, blasting down gravel roads in southern Vale much, much faster than we should’ve been going.

“Adam, Blake, Hawk, and Lieutenant. You all have such interesting names.” Penny was just beginning to get on my nerves. I just wanted to focus on driving and not getting us killed. “What kind of guns do you shoot?”

I silently blessed Hawk for piping up again and dealing with Penny’s question. “Madam, I’m a designated marksman and I shoot a semi-automatic long-range rifle.” Again, she deliberately avoided using the term  _ sniper _ . “The Lieutenant here is in love with this machine gun called an LSAT. Adam and Blake shoot a 417 and a 416, respectively.”

I glanced in my rearview to see Penny with her head in a small notebook, furiously scribbling notes into it. She stuck part of her tongue out when she wrote.

“Blake!” Adam shouted at me.

Out of the right corner of my eye, I saw the white wisp of smoke from a rocket, and I reacted as fast as I could. I yanked the wheel to the left, feeling the tires skid in an attempt gain traction.

The next thing I knew… the whole truck was being rotated. I looked out of my left window and saw the gravel of the road. My head flew forward and hit the steering wheel, and darkness snatched me.

When I came to, everything was blurry. I could faintly make out the steering wheel and the gauges, but the windshield was only piercing white light. My hand came up to my face, and when I lowered it, part of my glove was soaked in crimson. As feeling came back to me, I sensed the warm, sticky fluid, and instantly knew it was blood.

My ears were ringing, but I could hear shouting, and something that sounded like hail hitting the siding of the car. 

I tried to get my bearings and sit up in my seat, but my own senses were telling me that  _ down _ was to the left. Against the driver’s side of the car. My hand came up to press against what I thought would be window and glass, but instead was dirt and pea gravel. The truck was on its side. 

I suddenly remembered the rocket. Assumed it was Grimm. That’s when I knew that I needed to get  _ out. _ I was not about to die trapped in a truck. But when I looked around… nobody else was there. None of my team, or Penny. Were they flung from the car? If they were… it was even more reason to get out.

I braced myself against the seat and brought my boot up to rest against the windshield. While the glass was bulletproof, the crash had put a series of cracks at the bottom. I reared back and gave it a good kick, feeling it give. I gave it another kick, then another…. Until finally my heel went through it. 

“Blake!” I felt a hand grasping the straps of my rig and hauling me out through the windshield. It was Hawk, taking my hands and pulling me up. “I thought you were dead.”

When I got back on my feet, I smelled boiling engine coolant. Hot oil. Burning rubber. 

I noticed that Hawk wasn’t resting her rifle in her hand, but in the crook of her elbow. At the time, I guessed that she had mangled her hand or broken her wrist. Her eyes ran over me, looking for any signs of blood welling up through my clothing. When she was certain there was none, she grabbed my rifle from inside the cab of the truck and tossed it into my hands. “Adam’s at the back… he’ll tell you what to do.”

I kept my head down as I passed over to the bed of the truck. Silently, I gave thanks for the hidden armor both on the sides and bottom that kept any Grimm bullets from finding their way through. 

A camera flash greeted me when I got there. Penny had a small point-and-shoot camera and had just taken a picture of me. Adam had her huddled down low, against the upturned truck bed. The LT was standing and braced against the tailgate, actively shooting in short bursts. He knew we’d have to conserve ammo. 

“Blake, you okay?” Adam turned to me and ran his eyes over me the same way that Hawk did.

“I think so… What do you need me to do?”

“Wolfpack is on its way… We’ve just gotta hold on until they get here.” He looked around the truck, both at the smoldering ruins of our vehicle, and the surrounding area. A treeline set off of the road on both sides by roughly 20 yards, and there was a hill on our side where the trees started. Short, thick cedar trees, not very good for cover or fighting out of. “About a dozen Grimm are dug in behind rocks on the opposite side.”

He suddenly flinched as another volley of bullets hails against the truck. “Take Hawk’s position at the front. I need her picking off Grimm from that hill.” He pointed up into the trees on our side of the hill. “Go, Blake!”

I nodded, bringing a hand up to wipe a new trail of blood out of my face. I crossed back over to Hawk, tapping her shoulder and shouting into her ear over the cacophony of gunfire. “Adam wants you up on that hill, I’m taking over for you!”

Her eyes were dilated… they turned that way when she was shooting. No doubt my eyes were cut into cat slits, too… but I wasn’t focusing on that. Hawk backed away from the hood as I took up her position. “Blake, I’m gonna need some covering fire.”

I turned to her and nodded. “I can help you out with that.”

She slung her rifle over her back, and braced herself against the black sheet metal in a sprinter’s stance. The feathers on her neck laid flat against the skin, streamlined like when raptors dive for a kill. “Give me a count.”

“One… two…” I let out a deep breath, and shook a strand of hair out of my face. At the same time that I shouted “Three!” I leaned out from the front of the truck’s hood, and pulled the trigger. I didn’t really know what I was shooting at… I just sprayed. Mistake on my part. I wasn’t thinking.

I’ll never forget the way she screamed.

…

My psych puts down her notes, standing up with a worried look across her face. “She… she screamed? What happened?”

I don’t even want to think about it… but all of the images come flooding back to me anyway. “I…” I close my eyes, trying to shake out that one moment. The hand not holding the newspaper balls into a fist.

“Did she get hit?”

_ It’s all still there. Turning and seeing the youngest member of my team less than 15 yards away from me… on the ground. Red liquid and foam. _

“Yeah… Some Grimm use armor piercing rounds that can’t go through truck armor, but went clean through the ceramic plates we wore…” I look down at the newspaper article in my hand again, then wad it up and toss it on the floor.

“Easy, Blake… what happened next?”

I don’t want to remember it. I try my best, but bits and pieces still slip through the walls I’m putting up.

My chest tightens. Jaw clenches. My palms are clammy, turning white because I’m still squeezing them into fists.

I can’t. I don’t want to. I wish Yang were here…

…

Hawk’s beautiful auburn hair matting down in the pool of her own lifeblood.

Adam and the LT laying down covering fire. Me dragging her back behind the truck.

I shouldn’t have tried to treat her.  _ No medicine in a gunfight. _ But she was  _ scared. _ I saw her frantically glancing down and grimacing as I ripped her loadout off, and cut her clothes away with my knife. I heard the rush of air when she tried to speak, and… I knew. I hoped to hell that she didn’t.

Sucking chest wound. Blood was filling her lungs, and an air pocket was building in her chest cavity, trying to collapse them. I wiped the foam away with my sleeve, and did what I was trained to do.

_ “It’s… it’s bad… You have… you… help…” Her breaths come painfully, the grimace not leaving her face. Her eyes aren’t dilated anymore, and I don’t want to imagine why… _

I’m… I’m sorry. I can’t do this anymore.

…

“Blake…” I feel the psych’s presence move closer to me. Reaching out with her hand. 

“No. Stop it!” As fast as my Faunus reflexes allow me, I snatch her wrist. I’m squeezing it when I lock gazes with her again. I see the mix of fear, surprise, and pain.

“It’s not your fault…”

“Shut up!” Fury. I dig in with my feet and shove her backwards. “You weren’t there!”

She hits her back against the wall, and for a moment, I think I might have hurt her...

Her voice softens. “Soldiers die… it’s a part of the war. You kept fighting, after that…”

…

“Soldiers die.” That’s… that’s what the LT said.

Adam grabbed the LT’s collar with both hands, pulling him in. “ _ We’re not soldiers. We fight for a species, not a nation. _ ”

Adam shoved him backwards, the veins on his temple starting to pop out.

I was sitting on the ground, my back against an ammo crate in the warehouse that we called our base of operations. I still had her blood on my gloves, crusted and sour. The stains went halfway up my forearms, coating my black ribbons. “She’s gone… We brought her into this and we killed her.”

I can’t remember Adam’s face, but I remember his words. “No.  _ They _ killed her. The kingdoms and this damn war they’re still fighting.” He paused, biting at his next words with something that resembled bloodlust. “They’re to blame.”

…

“That’s… that’s dark…”

I shrug, still looking at the newspaper wad on the ground. “The worst part?” I pause, gathering myself and the courage to continue. “I… believed him. I blamed Vale’s military. I blamed Penny. I blamed every single human who ever saw our animal traits and thought of us as lesser. I thought that  _ they _ forced us to fight, and that Hawk’s blood was on their hands.” 

“You were angry.”

“I was  _ stupid _ .” I cross my arms, my gaze narrowing on hers. “And wrong. Absolutely wrong.”

She shakes her head. “Everybody goes through stages of grief, and-”

I put a hand up, interrupting her. “I’ve come to grips with the fact that she’s gone now. And…” I purse my lips, glancing down again. “That’s all I have to say about that.”

“I…” She backs away when I put my hand up, as if recoiling from a strike. “I guess I’ll be leaving, then…”

I put my hand down, eyeing the burgundy rug covering the floor of my office area.

Hesitantly, she walks over to the chair where her things are, packing them up into the satchel again. “You know how to get a hold of me, Blake. All you have to do is reach out.”

“Just… go.” That’s all I can manage. I don’t want her here any more. I don’t want her digging any deeper.

As soon as I hear the door latch closed, I back up against a wall, and slide down along it. I pull my knees into my chest, sitting on the floor.

An hour later… I hear another knock at the door, but this time my hand doesn’t gravitate to my pistol. I hear the door open slowly, and I turn to see Yang Xiao Long walk in. 

There’s no words. No “hello” or “how are you?” She closes the distances between us in seconds, pulls me to my feet, and wraps her arms around me.

My fingers curl in the brown leather jacket she’s wearing as I bury my face into the crook of her neck. Her gold locks seem to soak up both the tears and the emotions that I release at that very moment. I’ve kept them bottled up for the whole day…

“Shh… I’m here, kitten. Easy…”

“I told her about Hawk… and…” I try to breath, only getting choked up as I do so. I can’t hold back the water in my eyes. “And… I couldn’t, Yang… I couldn’t imagine her again… How scared she was...”

I feel Yang’s hand high on my head. Against my cat ears, pulling the bow out and dropping it to the floor. She gently brushes her fingers against them, then cards down through my hair… 

I can’t stop the tears from coming. Yang’s shoulder is wet, and for a moment, I’m worried that she’s mad because this is the first time she’s seen me in three days, and all I am is a hot mess…

But all that fades away when I feel her squeeze me and whisper into my ear.

“I’ve got you, Blake…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's on your mind?


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've been excited for this chapter, but I'm not sure how well it's going to turn out. It's another pretty farfetched one, and I know I'm jumping around quite a bit. I'll have more to talk about at the end.

All I want to do is stay like that with her forever.

As my shoulders relax and the tears stops spilling from my eyes, I feel her tighten even more. I can’t describe the safety and comfort I feel whenever I’m wrapped up in her arms. It’s like laying down in the softest bed you can think of: my heart slows down, any aches work themselves out, and if I’m left on my own with no distractions… I fall asleep.

“Blake… do you remember the day we first met?” 

For a moment… I’m puzzled. I pull back to look up at her, my brow furrowing. This isn’t the first time Yang has asked a question out of the blue. 

But… Yes. Of course I remember that day. It’s burned into my brain for both wonderful and terrible reasons at the same time.

I know that Yang can sense my hesitation. “We don’t have to talk about it…” 

I let out a shaky breath. “The best and worst day of my life.”

“I know. But I’m here. Just relax. We’ll walk through it together.” She tenderly plants a kiss to my forehead, then up higher to each of my cat ears.

…

I was in Adam’s apartment with the Lieutenant, reading a magazine with the news on. Me reclining across the leather couch. The news had nothing interesting to offer-- just a few bits and pieces about the Grimm war, and a story on the recent city-wide renovations happening in Vale.

The magazine, on the other hand, was about fashion that flaunts Faunus features in a sleek but occasionally discreet way. I was ashamed to admit that I actually  _ preferred _ going out in public with my bow on. It’s not that I don’t like my Faunus traits… it’s just that humans weren’t (and still aren’t) ready to completely accept the Faunus into society. I had to admit, though, that the fashion designers I was reading about knew what they were doing. A dapper business cap with slots in it for antlered Faunus. Pants with holes cut for the bushy tails of foxes. Low-cut shirts to accent the feathers that bird Faunus so often grew from the nape of the neck down. Just like Hawk.

_ Hawk _ . I had been thinking about her immensely for the past month since she’d been shot and killed in action.

I sighed, looking up from the magazine at the flat screen TV on a glass stand. The LT was sitting on a low granite countertop that doubled as a bar for us. The apartment was pretty basic, since we spent so little time in it. We could’ve afforded a penthouse in downtown Vale, but that’s conspicuous, and very much unneeded.

I stood, throwing the magazine on the stained wood coffee table and crossing the kitchen to a black refrigerator.

Adam burst in at that moment, with the door barely having enough time to shut before he started talking. Commanding.

“Get your gear. Civilian loadouts, but keep your field gear with you.” He was making a beeline for his bedroom. Well, our bedroom, but he insisted that it was ‘his.’ Even though we shared the same bed, closet, and bathroom. It… never really bothered me that much, since I still had a bed to sleep in, and a warm body to lay next to. I guess in my own mind I still viewed it as “our” bed.

I put the glass I had pulled from the plain white cabinets down. “Adam. What’s going on?”

“Big things, darling. This is going to be a great day for the Faunus.”

I did as he told me, putting on thick black slacks and a sturdy belt that would support my pistol. I tucked the slacks into knee-high boots and attached the black boot knife that I had when I defended Sage. This time, I donned a classy white button-down with the sleeves rolled and pressed to just below my elbows. As always, ribbons wrapped around my wrists to hide my White Fang tattoo, and the bow to hide my cat ears. I looked myself over in the mirror, making sure that nobody would  _ obviously _ recognize me as Faunus and that my weapons and my tattoo were more than concealed.

My pistol weighed especially heavy on my hip as I followed Adam down to our truck less than an hour later. We each tossed our gearbags into the bed. Each gearbag contained the equipment we would use if we were going out into the field, and expecting Grimm attacks. Armor, plate carriers, more ammunition, trauma kits, you name it. 

But that’s what you expect from military contractors, right?

…

“There’s our target.” Adam pointed across the street from the parking lot where the truck was. I saw a silver-haired man talking to a woman in a tan pantsuit. Beside the man was a teenage boy- I’d guess 14 or 15 at the time. He reminded me of Sage, simply by age and build. Only this  _ kid _ had no interest in what the other two were talking about. He looked like the man’s son- similar hair, similar dress. Glancing at other people passing by, offering a wave to another child babbling on beside her parents. Once or twice, I watched him force a smile and a nod to his father, only to turn away with a frown shortly after.

“Target? What do you mean ‘target’?” I shot him a suspicious glance. “Adam, what’s going on?”

“His name is Jacques Schnee. We have just been paid a hefty sum of money to make sure that he’s not home for dinner tonight.” He… was smiling. Enjoying the idea of doing this to another human being. “This is the man who owns half of the industry in Atlas, and gets rich on the blood and tears of Faunus.” He paused. “Today will be a day that the Faunus remember.”

I opened my mouth to ask him what  _ exactly _ he meant by that, but he cut me off before I could speak.

“Here’s the plan. LT, you’ve got the grab. Blake, you’re in the truck for the pickup.. I’ll make a distraction and double back after it plans out.”

Nausea rolled in my stomach. Saying that we were being paid to make sure he “doesn’t come home for dinner tonight” sounded like a kidnapping job. Sure… a part of me thought he might’ve meant more, but at the time, I didn’t put a stop to it or voice my opinion. 

At the same time… the uneasiness faded when I remembered that this man had gotten rich off of extorting Faunus workers… I’d seen the vids, read the articles, stayed in touch with friends back in Menagerie. Call it anger.  _ Blind _ anger.

…

“Blake, you’re blaming yourself for that.” I hear Yang whisper. Her arms are still wrapped tightly around me, as I lay my head on her shoulder.

My eyes are closed, and my mind keeps running through those events no matter how hard I try to stop it. “I could’ve put a stop to it. Nobody would’ve gotten hurt…” 

“You hadn’t known anything else but him. You followed him, but you did get away, Blake. That takes a lot of strength…” She pulls away enough to look at me, nudging my chin up so that our eyes lock.

I can’t look into those eyes of hers. Those loving, caring, trusting, ‘I won’t ever let anything ever happen to you’ seas of lilac…. “You don’t understand… I didn’t just run, Yang. You know what happened…” 

“I do… but you were so much stronger than you think, sweetheart… Believe me when I tell you that. Please…”

…

I don’t remember all the details of how things started to go south. My body was there, but my mind wandered somewhere else. Zero focus. People get killed when you lose focus.

The next thing I remember concretely was Adam jumping back into the truck with a fresh red stain on his sleeve. The LT throwing the kid that was with Jacques into the back seat, and wrestling him down to tie his hands and feet. The flash of malice that bolted through me, remembering Jacques and what his  _ company _ did to my race.

The truck was already running. I slammed it into gear and drove away, taking turns and backroads to lose any tail that might’ve followed us. Adam told me to go to “the warehouse,” a small shipping center that we had bought specifically to store our equipment. It was our base of operations, but we didn’t live there. Just used it when we needed it.

I took a roundabout way to get there, and ended up driving through a curvy, wooded area with newly fallen leaves down on the road. I heard the scuffing of clothes followed by a sharp breath in the backseat. When I looked in the rearview mirror, I saw the boy’s ice-blue eyes, nervously glancing between me and Adam.

“W-where are you taking me?” He was stuttering. Frightened.

Adam barely turned his head to respond to him. “Shut it.”

“Are… y-you going to kill me?”

Adam turned in his seat. He was already irritated, and the boy’s whine only made it worse. “Whitley, I will not hesitate to if you don’t keep that privileged trap of yours shut.”

“B-but… my fath-” 

His next sentence is interrupted by the LT’s elbow connecting with his temple. 

He… Whitley didn’t say much, even after we pulled up to the loading bay door of the warehouse and hauled him out of the back seat of the truck. I noticed that he was sobbing, whimpering… tears soaking his face even as the LT dragged him in and I shut the door. We put him in a cold metal chair near one of the walls of the warehouse, between a side door and a shipping container, speckled with rust. The warehouse was dark, and we kept it that way. No need for lots of light when you have Faunus night vision. Whitley could probably only see shadows moving around, and could only hear the echoing voices connected with them.

My Faunus hearing also let me listen in on Adam and the LT talking on the complete opposite side of the warehouse. I doubt Whitley could’ve heard it. They were in one corner, distanced by faded shipping crates and pallets. I was in the far opposite corner, watching Whitley fidget against handcuffs that only started to rub his skin raw.

“This is bad, Adam.”

“Yeah. I know.” Adam’s words were rushed. Like he was stressed. Letting emotions show through.. “I just don’t know what we do with him now.”

“You know what I want to do.”

“I know. I want to as well. But this wasn’t exactly covert or anything.”

“Nobody saw us when we came here.”

“You don’t know that, LT.”

“I say we kill him, and leave. Let the body rot. Make it a warning.”

There was a long pause. The silence of the warehouse was deafening. I could hear mice in the rafters, scurrying across the girders.

“Fine. We’ll do it. Send a sort of... message.”

“Good.”

Whitley spoke to me just then. “What do you want from me?”

I… didn’t respond. I didn’t know what I’d say.

“Is it about my father’s company? What it does to Faunus workers?”

Bile in my throat. “What do you know about the Faunus?”

“I…” He gasped, pulling at the restraints as they only cut deeper into his skin. “I hate the violence between Faunus and the Schnees, but I only want to run the company some day!”

I could sense truth in what he was saying. Nobody gets that strung out and emotional… 

“Please… just let me go, and I’ll make this right…”

I heard the footsteps, one by one. Adam and the LT reappearing behind me, and all of us staring at Whitley with crossed arms as he shakes beneath us.

I don’t know what finally got to me about it… Seeing the color drain from Whitley’s face, or watching Adam slowly draw the knife.

“Wait… Adam. This is  _ wrong. _ ”

“What?” Adam turned to me with a look of disbelief.

“We… We  _ protect  _ people. Like Sage and Penny. We watch out for fellow Faunus… but we don’t kill children for them.” My throat constricted, stifling the words as Adam stepped up to me, as if every passing word was dragging me deeper into some kind of pit.

“So. You’re sympathizing with a human. This is what you’ve become, dear. Tell me something… what does his life matter to you?” He points to Whitley, who jumps backwards in the chair when Adam’s arm comes up. “Are you telling me that he means something to you now? A human whose family persecutes and extorts  _ your _ race?”

I looked away. I couldn’t bring myself to look into Adam’s eyes.

“That’s what I thought.” He turns the knife in his hands so that he’s gripping it gingerly by the blade, offering the handle to me. “Prove to me that you’re strong for the Faunus. Take this knife, and cut his throat. Stab him through the heart. Carve his baby blues out. His life is yours to take.”

I stared at it, the polymer handle connected to a serrated red and black blade..

“I... “

_ Just like Hawk… It’s all there. The memories. Like they’re playing out right in front of me, right here, right now…. _

“Don’t you hesitate on me now, darling.” He stepped closer. The knife got closer. 

I… I froze. Couldn’t move a muscle even though every single one is all of a sudden telling me to get  _ away. _ To  _ run. _

I saw Adam’s eyes flare, silently looking me over, judging me. I wondered where he would hit me next. It’s… it’s a look I was all too familiar with.

It came across my cheek, high by my jawbone. The back of his knuckles stinging my skin and forcing my head to the side. In an instant, I knew it was going to leave a black eye.

“He’s just a kid!” I shouted when I clutched my cheek and reeled back from the strike. “Who he is or what his family has done doesn’t matter!”

The LT shoved me out of the way and grabbed Adam’s knife. Even though Adam just hit me, I lunged at the LT. I couldn’t let him do it.

Adam snatched up my wrists and held me back. I was screaming… telling… begging the LT to stop. “If you kill him… you’re no better than they are!”

Whitley was shaking his head. Muttering something that sounded like “No” over and over again. He called for his mother. His father. Somebody named “Winter.” And someone else named “Weiss.”

I tried to surge forward one final time to stop the LT as he raises the knife, as if about to bring an icepick down on a block of frozen tuna. If I were just three feet closer… I could’ve stopped him.

“Stop! Please, stop… Don’t do this…” I hoped and prayed that my eyes were deceiving me… even when I specifically remember the  _ sound  _ of the blade sinking cleanly and gently into the crook of Whitley’s neck.

I was crying. Shouting. Cursing Adam and the White Fang and the LT and every single moral I’d ever thought I possessed. 

…

Yang squeezes me again. “Blake. Come back to me. I’m right here…”

I’m shaking. Starting to sweat at the memory. I don’t respond to Yang.

She’s seen this before, when I first opened up to her about my past. I feel her gently pick me up and carry me in to the king-sized master bedroom- the only bedroom in the apartment. She nudges me to sit down, and then she kneels in front of me, gathering my hands in hers. I feel her lace our fingers together. 

I look down at our hands, my hair falling down like a black veil covering my face. Yang reaches up with a free hand and parts it, sweeping it back over my shoulder and caressing my cheek on the way back down.

“Adam… he hurt me, Yang.”

“I know, kitten.”

“He... told me how much of a coward I was and how I was a disgrace to all the Faunus…”

“But you and I both know that he was wrong. Lying. Clean through his teeth.” Yang shifts forward and leans her forehead against mine.

I take in a breath and let it out in a shaky sigh. “Then… you found me, Yang.”

…

My body was trying to shut down. Grief, maybe? Hopelessness? I collapsed to the ground when Adam finally let go of me. After Whitley stopped crying. I was crushed by feelings of regret, of failure. Everything I wanted the White Fang to stand for was gone in an instant. Adam kicked me when I was down like that, and I felt my ribs cave in. A shriek escaped my lips, then they were gone. They just left me there on the floor. 

But before he left, he told me words that still haunt me today. “You disappoint me, Blake. To think you ever cared about the Faunus…” One more kick, the air forcibly leaving my lungs.

In one foggy instant, it was the last I hoped to see of Adam…. 

… but there was Whitley. Still breathing, a desperate gasp with blood running out of the side of his mouth.

I got on my hands and knees, and crawled over to him, pulling him down from the chair and to the ground. Everything was still so foggy that I couldn’t be sure of what I was doing.

“Pl-please…. I…” He could barely speak… his high tenor voice now pleading and only coming in short waves. I didn’t want to think about why.

I just… put pressure on the wound. It hurt him, but… if he had any chance of survival, that’s what I had to do. I pressed. And I pressed. And I pressed. I never even realized that he wasn’t bleeding anymore. Not because the blood clotted. Because his heart stopped.

My senses came back to me when the side door burst open, and my Faunus night vision was suddenly struck by sunlight. 

Shouts. Orders to get on the ground. Orders to show them my hands. Three figures in combat gear with military markings.

I don’t know why, but I drew my pistol. Pointed it at the first person I saw. A blonde, tall, with long and wild locks that extended very low on her back. Lilac eyes. Both of them open as she looked through a rifle sight.

To my left… a younger girl sporting black hair with red tips. Her rifle was longer… some kind of sniper rifle that looked similar to the one that Hawk used, just with red accents. Silver eyes, unlike anything I’d ever seen before. She had a patch on her sleeve with a red and black rose emblem. 

“Whitley!” The third one… she just made a beeline to the lifeless body next to me. Checking for a pulse. White hair pulled back into a ponytail. On her vest was a nametape that read ‘Captain Weiss Schnee.’

_ This was Whitley’s sister…. _

My gun stayed trained on the blonde… but I wasn’t going to pull the trigger. At that point, I was scared. My gun was the only protection I could think of and I held it in a death grip. The sights that I had trained on the center of her chest started shaking. 

At that point.... The blonde pulled away from her sights, and cocked her head at me. I saw her eyes dance over me… the black eye from a few days before. Maybe my labored breathing or the tears streaming down my face. She lowered her gun, slinging it over her back and coming down to kneel in front of me.

“Yang… Yang. She’s got a gun. What are you doing?” The girl with the black and red hair. Her voice was a soprano, but also soft. Genuine care and concern for this  _ Yang _ echoed through her voice.

“It’s alright. Just trust me, Ruby,” the blonde replied.

Ruby started to lower her weapon, but Weiss didn’t move from Whitley’s side. I think she was sobbing. Gun laid forgotten to the side. She reached up and closed Whitley’s blue eyes-- a blue that mirrored her own. Ruby was standing by her side, her lips pressed into one straight line as she laid a hand on Weiss’s shoulder.

“Hey. Easy. I’m not going to hurt you if you don’t hurt me. I’m Yang. Yang Xiao Long with Vale Special Forces.” She paused, starting to reach out towards the pistol that I still have leveled at her. “What’s your name?”

I was extremely leery of giving out names, but… I don’t know. I was vulnerable, and hurt. She seemed to be the only anchor in the world at that very moment. “Blake Belladonna…”

“Blake…” Her hand closed over the top of my pistol, gently easing it down to the ground, even as I still had a death grip on it. “What happened to this poor boy? Did you kill him?”

I shook my head. “Adam… Adam and his Lieutenant…”

The gun was touching the cold concrete floor. I started to relax, thinking that maybe these girls weren’t such a threat… 

“And.. you tried to save him?” Her voice got even softer, her gaze straying to the blood on my hands…

I just nodded.

The Schnee spoke up, her voice harsh and accusing, still looking down at her brother. “I bet she killed him. That’s her knife right there. She’s lying.”

Yang turned to her, that soft voice a moment ago dropping half an octave. “Weiss. Cool it.”

“She’s a Faunus. She killed my brother. She pointed a gun at you!” I saw Weiss’s hand snatch her sidearm out of her holster and point it straight at me. Ruby drew back, as if Weiss’s body had suddenly become a raging fire.

I tense, waiting to hear the sound of the shot and feeling the searing heat of the bullet at any moment.

Yang stood and stepped between her and I. “ _ This is up to Ozpin. Not you. _ ”

“Get out of the way, Yang.”

“No.”

…

I come up to meet Yang’s lilac gaze. She’s smiling, gently running her thumb over the top of my hand. I’m not shaking anymore.

“You were prepared to take a bullet for a girl you didn’t even know…”

“But I wanted to. I wanted to get to know the girl who was just betrayed, broken and crying with blood on her hands…” She doesn’t stop with the gentle caress.

“I’m so, so lucky to have you in my life, Yang…”

“Shhh….”

I squeeze her hands, hard. Her thumb stops moving over the back of my palm. “Yang. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Yang blinks once, twice, three times… then glances down at our hands, gently turning them over before looking back up at me with a smile. “And I’m so, so lucky to be a part of your life, Blake.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Yeah. Whitley's dead and gone (sorry, Weiss). I know a lot of people hate his guts and are happy to see him gone, but I would caution you to remember that he's still innocent in this fight. And even though in canon he screwed Weiss over... He's still her little brother. Even if you have bad blood with your brother, you'd still be distraught at losing a family member. Aside from that little tidbit... I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andddd here we go. Chapter 6. My favorite chapter from this fic. Hope you all enjoy, and please, please, please let me know what you think?

Yang’s smile made me melt. Adam never had that effect on me. She IS the shoulder I cry, lean, and bleed on. 

“Are… you planning on calling that psych back any time soon?”

I nod. “Well, if I want to keep fighting on RWBY… I have to.”

Yang grinned, coming up to be level with me and shifting forward. “Well… how about you wait til tomorrow? I want you for the rest of the evening.”

I cocked an eyebrow, even as she placed her hands on the insides of my thighs and gently spread my legs so that she could kneel between them. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t miss her, even after three days...

I felt her hands get underneath my top, those warm hands pressing on my back in a way that angled me closer to her. I closed my eyes the moment I felt her lips fold with mine. 

My arms wrapped up around her neck, keeping her close, but I wanted  _ her. _ Every bit of Yang Xiao Long-- her blonde hair, fair skin, lilac eyes, firm curves, and unlimited warmth.

…

I saved her life, once. Well, probably more than once, but there’s one time in particular that I remember, after Ozpin cleared me to work with the team. To Weiss’s protests, as you might imagine.

I was a military operator. I knew how to handle myself in a fight. I knew how to breach a door, and I knew how to be a gunfighter in close quarters.

When we lined up on the wall beside the door on some Grimm hunting mission, Weiss decided to be behind me. I didn’t trust her to cover my back, just like she didn’t trust me not to shoot her team as soon as we went in. Her gun was behind me, but I wasn’t convinced that she had it pointed down at the ground, away from me.

We were in a compound. A broken chain link fence to my right, with only forest existing beyond. This was the first of three other buildings in the compound, simple gray, cinder block buildings. Crude, but that was sorta the way Grimm operated. We had already killed two guards to get to that point. I’ll explain a bit more later.

Yang came around on my right. She normally kicks down doors on the team, since she was stronger than anyone else.

I closed my eyes, my cat ears turning and listening, for anything that was out of the ordinary before swinging a hand back to tap Weiss’s leg. I heard her gently hit Ruby’s before the tap came back, to Weiss, then to me. When I felt it, I locked eyes with Yang and gave her a nod.

She quickly stepped forward, her foot coming up to kick the door down.

“Wait…” In that split second, I heard the rack of a shotgun on the other side of the wall. It was faint. Weak, distorted by the thickness of the concrete. But I heard it. Nobody else would’ve.

“Down!” I surged forward, letting go of my weapon and wrapping my arms around Yang. Since she was already on one foot, we both crashed to the ground, sliding on the gravel of the landscaping around the building.

No sooner than I had Yang down did the stained wood of the door blow outward, showering the sidewalk with shards of wood that reminded me of toothpicks.

“Yang!” Weiss stayed out of the doorway, but I felt her gun trained on me, even though I couldn’t see it. There’s this… strange feeling you get, like the sound of a buzzing chainsaw, when people point guns at you. Even if you don’t see them or the gun.

I opened my mouth, panting. “You okay?”

“Yeah!” She grabbed for my rifle, which was hanging from me by the sling. I reared up a bit, settling so that I was on my knees, straddling her. She forced it into my hands and pushed me off. “Let’s kill these assholes!”

I sat there as she got back up and shoved the butt of her gun into the doorjamb. The door busted open, and I just… watched. Watched as Weiss and Ruby went in. Watched as I heard multiple gunshots, and I heard Ruby call “One up.” Weiss and Yang each responded with “two up” and “three up.” Yang was standing in the doorway when she looked back down at me.

We locked eyes again. My cat slit eyes into her seas of lilac. They weren’t flared red or anything. Not… yet, at least. I felt a pang of guilt at the fact that I was still just… sitting there. I looked away, somewhat ashamed that I had been useless in actually clearing the room. Sometimes, even the best of us freeze up. We get tunnel vision, or that stream-of-consciousness that so many soldiers experience just stops cold. “Hey.”

I glanced back up at her.

“Thanks for the save.” One hand stayed on her weapon, the other flicking a ‘thumbs-up’ at me.

Yang always took such a… whimsically confident approach to combat. Hilariously different from my mindset when the bullets started flying.

But that comment made me feel like I did something. Like I was part of the team, for once.

…

“Yang…” I gasp as her lips break away from mine and press hotly against the skin of my neck.

She doesn’t let up, trailing them from my neck to my jaw, then back to my ear. I’m met with electricity rippling over my skin. I… wasn’t expecting this. Not now, anyway. But I’m not going to stop her. I’ve missed her too much…

I feel the waves of her breath right by my ear while her lips gently caress my skin. My own hands slip under that leather jacket that she’s wearing, and start to push it off. Not breaking away from my ear, she relaxes her arms, and it falls away with ease. She nips at my ear when my nails trace against her skin and along the edges of the yellow tank-top she’s wearing. She had decided to wear something comfortable, just like me. But when my hands fall even lower, to her waist, I’m met by the harsh coolness of gunmetal. 

I shrug the pistol out of the holster, but I’m cut short by the feeling of her hand up by my cat ears. With crisp yet tender precision, she pulls the bow off and tosses it to the side. I set the pistol on the nightstand by the bed, and nudged her back so I could look into her eyes.

As I pull away, her gaze meets mine with concern and worry. Wondering if she’d gone too far or if I didn’t want that tonight, but I reassure her with a gentle caress of her cheek.

In truth, I’m smiling. Almost grinning. And… purring. It was something that I had never known about, something that never happened with Adam. But Yang found when we were first being intimate together. Mom and Dad didn’t bother to tell me that being a Cat-Faunus meant that I could purr…

But Yang loves it. It drives her crazy.

“You’re getting sloppy, Yang…”

“Huh?” Yang’s eyebrows perk up when I abruptly change the topic.

I reach down, pulling out the boot knife that I decided to conceal with my pistol that morning. I never bothered taking it off. When I toss it to the floor, Yang’s eyes follow it with a smirk.

“I was getting there… don’t be so impatient, Blake.”

“Sure you were.” With my arms around her neck, I pull her in again. Completely against my chest, so she can hear and feel the gentle vibrations resonating through me.

Yang’s breath catches, and she tucks her face into me. “You-- you’re purring….”

“I know…”

She squeezes me.  _ Hard. _ Like she never wants to let go. 

…

I’m not going to bore you with the details of me joining Yang’s team. It was a crazy series of events all masterminded by Colonel Ozpin. Every time I met or talked with him, it always seemed like he had some underlying scheme or plan, but I couldn’t read him. 

Point is, I was… leery about joining another team. Adam’s change  _ hurt _ . The wound hadn’t even come close to healing by the time Ruby Rose jumped down from her bed and loudly proclaimed, “R. W. B. And Y. That spells something like RWBY, right?”

I couldn’t get past Weiss’s distrusting, sideways glances or how her eyes stayed on me a little too long when I walked through the room. Ruby seemed friendly enough as long as I didn’t deter from team cohesion, and Yang… she was a godsend.

Even as I settled in, I had thoughts about leaving. Thoughts that I didn’t really tell anyone, and I don’t know why. I wanted to hunt Adam and the Lieutenant down before they turned the rest of the White Fang into what they were. I didn’t want to have other people trust me, and have me let them down, like Hawk. I wanted to stay in the fight, because that’s all I knew, but I didn’t want these three girls depending on me.

That’s why I bought the apartment-- to get away when I needed to. I started disappearing, sometimes for whole weekends when we didn’t have a mission or training to get done.

One day as I was leaving, I met Yang working on her motorcycle. She stopped me.

“Hey. Where are you going?” She said from underneath the bike. She was in a light orange tank top with gray pants marked with grease stains.

“Out.” I normally shielded my answers, and nobody really questioned them.

“So, you’re leaving again to nobody knows where for nobody knows how long?” She shifted from underneath her bike, and sat up to look at me as I kept walking to the black sports sedan that I called my own.

“Hey.” Her sudden, commanding tone was a stark contrast to her normally cheerful and outgoing demeanor. “Let me ask you something.”

She closed the distance between myself and her, putting my back uncomfortably close to the car. We were in an open garage with the bay doors open… but she was too close for comfort. 

I only nodded, silently looking for a way out. Where I’d go if she took a swing at me. Every muscle on edge, ready to jump or run in an instant.

“If some driver runs you off the road between here and wherever it is you’re going, how are we going to find you? What if Adam or the Lieutenant come back to tie up loose ends, and you need help? What if--”

“Yang, I can take care of myself.” My hands turned into fists with a heavy, angry sigh. 

“It’s not about whether or not you can take care of yourself, it’s whether or not you need help.”

I shook my head, looking down at my feet then back up. “You don’t understand…”

“No,  _ you _ don’t understand!” Her eyes flared. A bright, fiery red that pierced right through me. She threw up her hands. “You have no clue what--”

My own arm came up to guard my face. Eyes shut. Looking away and hiding my face in my hair. My opposite arm was reaching for my Gambol Shroud. My sidearm.

“Blake…” She stopped.

I never told Yang, or anyone, how abusive Adam was. Bruises don’t leave scars that you can see, but that doesn’t mean they’re not there. 

“I… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to…” She steps back, well out of my inner comfort zone, but still close enough that I don’t feel distanced. It’s… hard to describe. “Look… whatever he did doesn’t matter anymore. He can’t touch you. Not with the rest of the team around.”

Even though I didn’t tell her about Adam’s abuse… Yang  _ did _ understand. At the time, I thought that maybe she’d been there herself. Maybe she had an abusive partner, or parents, or had also had a rough patch in her life. Now, I know that that wasn’t the case. She lost two mothers when she was younger… one to the Grimm War, the other to, well… she doesn’t like to talk about it and it’s not my place to tell you.

…

I just want to cuddle her tonight… when she relaxes from her tight, locked-down grip, I nudge her up. At first, I’m met with raised eyebrows and a bit of reluctance, but after a moment, she understands, and lays down on her back. With a sigh that eases the tension out of my shoulders, I collapse beside her, shifting down and nosing my way under one of her arms. My head finds its way onto her chest, and… I hear it.

Her heartbeat. A strong, steady rhythm that tells me, in every repeating instant that she’s here. She’s alive.  _ She’s not going anywhere. _

Her hand traces up my form, brushing over stressed tendons and scar tissue. It cards its way through my hair, which by now is a complete and total mess. Finally, it rests against my cat ears, gently tracing shapes and patterns against them. Sometimes, they twitch involuntarily, as if I’m reacting to some kind of insect landing on them. I’m still purring, knowing that Yang’s lips are tugged up into a wide, satisfied smile.

Laying against her is like sitting by a crackling campfire and falling asleep in a cloud at the same time. 

It… occurs to me that two of the things that Yang loves the most about me are Faunus traits… the ears, and my purring. 

Maybe that’s why I love her. She doesn’t draw back at those things that distance me from humans. She embraces them. Sometimes quite literally.

…

I mentioned how Weiss never really seemed to trust me. Or any Faunus, for that matter. I mean… I’d be lying if I said I liked her. But you still have to trust someone on the battlefield to get something done.

Back to that mission where I saved Yang by tackling her out of the way of that door…

It was a rescue mission. About a week earlier, one of Mistral’s political leaders had been ambushed while traveling through the mountains. Grimm were able to overwhelm her and her protective guards, and they captured her. Atlas had gotten intel that the leader had been taken into Vale territory, and that she was being held in one of those abandoned towns on the east side of Vale.

RWBY was ready. Colonel Ozpin brought us the files and briefed us at Beacon Field, on the spot. Normally, higher ranking officers don’t do that, but there was always something different about him. 

“I expect you will maintain discretion, and keep in mind that this woman you are going after carries a lot of weight in the Mistrali government. Please, tread lightly and keep her safe. Mistral is placing a lot of trust on us to get this done.” He swirled the brown liquid in his coffee mug before taking a swig. “Oh, and Specialist Belladonna…” His brown gaze met mine, his words lingering on the word ‘Specialist.’ 

It was the first time anyone had called me by my new military rank, which was different than the rank of ‘Specialist’ in the Atlesian military. A Vale specialist is set apart from the chain of command with no specter of seniority or hierarchy, able to make their own decisions at their own discretion. Much like a member of the Special Operatives Unit in Atlas. Ruby and Yang both bore the title of specialist, but that never stopped the people of Remnant from referring to them as “Huntresses.” 

“... I want you on this mission.” Ozpin’s word was firm. Decisive.

Weiss immediately stepped forward, voicing her protest with large, wavy hand gestures. “Sir, surely you understand that with a mission of this caliber, she--”

Ozpin dismissed her with a wave of her hand. “Captain Schnee, Blake will be joining you on this one, unless she herself refuses. Your team leader can choose how to best coordinate her…  _ skillset _ into your strategy.”

And just like that, I was sitting on the side of a helicopter, my legs dangling over the lush forests and railroad tracks that covered the Vale countryside. Places where Grimm could hide. Normally, that side of Vale would be a hotbed for Grimm attacks. I wasn’t sure why it hadn’t been for that particular week…

Yang sat beside me, humming some EDM song that was audible even over the sound of the rotors beating against the air. Slipping in the lyrics here and there when she knew them.

“You’re standing too close to a flame…” Humming. “Hotter than the sun in the middle of July.” Humming again, bouncing her head side to side in some phantom beat. “I burn! Can’t hold me now….” She trailed off, echoing the refrain with a confident grin spread across her face.

It never occurred to me that I had been watching her-- the girl that gave me a chance-- so closely until Weiss pushed me aside to yell at Yang and I. “One minute to touchdown!”

Fast forward to just after Yang kicked down the door. The compound only had three buildings with a few rooms each. I saw Grimm bodies in the corners, slumped over from my team’s handiwork. Sunlight cast rays in through the cracks in the blinds and curtains of the structure. This particular room had filing cabinets and stacks of paper. All of which probably contained valuable information, but our goal was to retrieve the politician  _ before _ things got ugly.

There was a door at the far end of the room, sealed shut. There was a padlock bolted across the door. From our reconnaissance, we knew that the politician was  _ most likely _ in that room.

“It’s locked. Blake, you’re up.” Ruby pointed at me, then at the padlock. 

Both her and Weiss stood on either side of the doorframe as I pulled a simple lockpicking kit from my vest. All I needed for that little lock was a standard hook and tension wrench. 

“Hurry up, Faunus.” Weiss whispered to me, her words cutting deeper than they should’ve. Still, this was a skillset that the White Fang had honed in me. Within moments, my tools turned, and the lock popped open. I always involuntarily smiled whenever the pins lined up just right like that…

“Yang, cover our six. Blake, open the door.” Ruby commanded, her silver eyes trained on her gunsight, pointed at the door.

“Copy.” Yang replied, as I stepped forward, and turned the handle slowly. In one swift motion, I flung the door open and Ruby and Weiss rushed in. No gunfire this time, only the sound of boots scuffing on concrete floor, and the faint sound of splashing water, as if someone stepped in a puddle.

Before I even made it in, I heard both Ruby and Weiss announce “Clear!”

When I entered the doorframe, my eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light of the bare, cinder block sided room. There was only one incandescent bulb in the center of the high ceiling. No windows. A sloping concrete floor with a drain in the center. The floor was wet-- slightly flooded, actually, but not to the point where it could soak into our combat boots anytime soon. The odor of stale air and urine emanated from the doorway.

The next thing I saw was a woman slumped over in a metal folding chair in the center of the room, her hands tied behind her back so she couldn’t go anywhere. Her clothes were wet, just like the floor. She… she was shaking, but I couldn’t tell if it was from the cold… or that scared look in her eyes. Her gaze darted at each of us, trying to find some ounce of recognition even though we probably just looked like dark, sinister figures to her.

I don’t remember what called my attention to it at first. Part of me smelled the scent that wasn’t  _ totally _ human. I could hear the quickened rate of her breathing, a trait of some Faunus with faster heartbeats than those of humans. 

I didn’t even need to see the tiger-striped tail to know that she was a Faunus.

Ruby moved behind her while Weiss took a knee in front of her and tried to calm her down. “Ma’am… we’re Huntresses. Vale Special Forces. Do you understand?”

The woman just recoiled at Weiss’s touch. I knew what Weiss said was what she was  _ supposed _ to say… but I knelt beside Weiss and nudged her out of the way. 

“My name’s Blake. I’m from Menagerie. You’re… a tiger Faunus, right?”

Feline Faunus have a very acute sense of smell and hearing, as you’ve seen. However… just like any other sense, these senses act subconsciously all the time. For example… consciously, I can recognize Yang’s scent long after she’s left the room. However, Faunus are naturally drawn to other Faunus, even if both parties are hiding their traits. It’s weird to explain… but it’s an innate sense of comfort.

I think that’s why the woman in front of me in the dark room suddenly looked up at me, her eyes widening and her head nodding. She could smell the fact that I, too, was a feline Faunus, and took comfort in it whether it was conscious or not.

I put my hand on her shoulder, but that time, she didn’t pull back. “You’re going home. You’re gonna stick close to me, and we’ll keep you safe on the way out.”

She sighed, relieved, with Ruby suddenly undoing her hands and letting her slump forward against me. She was sobbing, and I didn’t blame her.

Ruby reshouldered her rifle after undoing our charge’s hands. “Okay, Let’s move. Diamond formation, protect the hostage. Yang, you take point on the way out. Everybody ready?”

I looked over at Weiss, who was standing, and eyeing both my cat ears and the woman’s tail. Her mouth was slightly open, and she shook her head. Maybe she understood. Maybe she didn’t.

…

I bite my lip and gasp sharply when Yang’s hand lingers slightly too long over a bruised rib. She immediately pulls her hand away.

“Blake?”

I shake my head, eyes still closed with my head tucked into her chest. “It’s okay. Just… stilling healing from that hit I took.”

“Oh. Sorry…” Her hand resumes to trace around my back, mostly avoiding that spot this time. After a moment, I feel her lean down and kiss the top of my head, directly between my ears. They twitch at her sudden touch-- a reflex-- but I fold them down as she does. Her lips stay there, however, brushing against my hair, then against the black and gray fur that’s normally covered by a little black bow. Each kiss sends a ripple across my skin, not because it’s uncomfortable, but because she’s the only one who’s done that besides my mother when I was younger.

“You love those, don’t you?”

“Mhmm….” Yang’s response is deep, from the throat. Her lips don’t move as she says it, but I can still feel her chest vibrate...

I glance up at her, and watch her reluctantly pull away from kissing me. “Why?”

She’s smiling, her eyes momentarily dancing from my own to my ears. “I… I don’t know.” Her hand on my back traces upward, through my hair, up the back of my neck, to them. 

Her fingers caressing them… I can’t describe the feeling.

“They’re… they’re a part of you, Blake. They’re as unique as your fingerprints, and I could just nuzzle into them all day…” She kisses my left, then my right. 

I fold them down again, feeling the heat rise up to my cheeks. I bury my face into her chest to hide my face from her.

I’ve pulled dying friends out of danger, I’ve stared down gun barrels, hell….  _ I’ve even been shot. _ But I  _ still _ have to hide it when my girlfriend makes me blush.

…

“Blake, stay back! Keep her safe!” 

Getting out of the compound was going to be a lot more difficult than getting in. We were dealt a bad hand-- as soon as we started pulling the hostage out, things erupted. Our helicopter couldn’t get close because of the mess of anti-air. Grimm were coming in from a path near the way we came in. We had ourselves, our wits, and our rifles.

Me, Ruby, Weiss, and Yang. Against  _ dozens _ of Grimm.

At least the place had cover. A few military trucks. Tan and green crates spotted with rust. 55-gallon drums that contained either kerosene or diesel fuel that clouded any heightened sense of smell I thought I had. 

I had my weapon slung across my back, and was holding the woman-- I found out her name was Iris-- by the wrist. She could walk, but at that moment, I had her hunkered down behind one of those crates containing who-knew-what. It stopped bullets, and that’s all I cared about as I forced her as low as possible. Any more, and her face would’ve been buried in the dirt.

Yang was at the “head” of the diamond, directly in front of me behind a truck. Weiss was at my 10 o’clock, and Ruby was at my 2. I could hear Weiss scrambling, grasping at threads over the radio for any chance at air support. Our radios were synced, so I could hear everything she said, as well as any responses.

Like always, the female radio operator tasked to Vale Special Forces responded to Weiss. “RWBY 2, this is Maiden. We have one strike package on standby. They are less than five minutes out, but anything within that compound is also danger close for you. Close air support is not advised.”

Weiss’s voice, calm and collected despite the harsh cracks and flashes of sparks bouncing off of the crate in front of her. “We’ll deal with danger close once they get here. We’re going to try and escape to the east, deeper into Grimm territory. Can you have ISR sweep that section?”

“Negative, Captain. We don’t have any drones in the area and satellite feeds won’t be over your location for at least an hour.You’re on your own.”

Weiss purses her lips, getting fed up with the situation, even as she glances at me and Iris. “Roger. Chop that air element to my frequency. RWBY 2 out.”

I remember thinking about what I could do. My job was to keep Iris safe, sure, but we weren’t going to last long with three guns rolling in the fight. Even as Yang’s SAW fired burst after burst. Or as Ruby’s sniper rifle claimed individual after individual, one by one. Or as the underbarrel grenade launcher on Myrtenaster belched out a 40mm round into one of the Grimm’s light trucks that we referred to as Beowolves.

I fiddled nervously with the retention straps keeping my rifle across my back. I let go of Iris’s wrist, and for some reason, my hand fell to Gambol Shroud. I mechanically drew it from the holster strapped to my leg, slapped my palms against the grip, and pressed forward. Shoulders shrugged up in perfect shooting stance, just like any day at the range. Head down, looking down the sight at the three dots lined up. Center of mass on a Grimm soldier that just got out of a second Beowolf that just pulled up.

Gentle squeeze of the trigger with the pad of my finger. The gun went off, kicking back against my hands like I’d felt it a thousand times before. I watched my target recoil, but he had armor on.

I fired again, this time watching a dark red spurt appear just above his collar.

“RWBY, this is Air Element 5677.” A male voice. Young, tenor. “We heard you needed a hand.”

Another voice on the radio, female. Smooth. Confident. “Maiden says that you have targets. Can you confirm?”

“Affirmative, JNPR. We could really use some close air right now.” Weiss breathed a sigh of relief as she slid another 40mm round into her rifle. “Targets are multiple Grimm vehicles and personnel within the compound. Friendlies are on the eastern side of the compound. Repeat: watch your fire to the east.”

The male voice again. “Got it, Weiss. What’s your recommendation?”

Weiss paused for a moment, then peeked over the top of her cover for a split-second, minding the sparks that met her. “Jaune, it’s a tall order, but I want you and Pyrrha to streak over. Supersonic. Get their heads down, then establish an orbit. Nobody gets to Ren and Nora. I need a north to south gun run from Ren, then have Nora hit the compound with the biggest thing you’ve got.”

The male voice once more time-- it had to be this ‘Jaune’ that Weiss was talking to. “RWBY… you know this is insanely danger close, right? You’re going to be in range of everything we put down.”

Weiss responded, her voice even colder this time. “Do as I say. We’ll take care of everything down here.”

“But--” 

That other smooth female voice-- Pyrrha-- cut in. “Fire mission acknowledged, RWBY. Jaune, Arkos will accelerate for the high-speed pass and climb to altitude for air superiority. Ren, break off for the gun run.”

Another male voice, this one much deeper, but even more confident than Pyrrha’s. “Can do. On my way. Ordnance is one minute out.”

Weiss turns to Ruby, who catches her glance and just nods in understanding. 

“Okay, We’ve got one minute before this place gets smoked. Blake, lead out, keep Iris safe!” Ruby called out. Both her and Yang popped out of cover, guns blazing. I stood, letting go of my pistol with my left hand and taking hold of my Faunus charge’s wrist once more. I led her backwards, keeping most of my body between her and the Grimm. We had to cross a gravel driveway, out in the open across the compound before we could disappear into the forest, and escape.

I don’t remember what I felt first-- the heat of the blood rushing to that point, or my head slamming backwards against the ground.

I got hit. It felt like a hammer, and my chest was the anvil. One single, solid, off-center hit that put me straight on my back with Iris under me.

She gasped. Screamed. I don’t think she realized what had happened.

But I was still breathing. I felt something warm run down my chin. I had bitten my lip when the round came in. But… as my right hand, now free since I dropped my pistol, swept down my form, I realized that the bullet had only struck the ceramic plate I wore as part of my combat gear. Armor. The bullet had hit the one place where it couldn’t go through.

But… it still  _ hurt _ .

“Damn…. It….” I sat up, still trying to keep Iris as low to the ground as possible. I was grimacing, biting my lip even more to will the pain away.

“Blake!” It was Yang. “You okay?”

I nodded, groaning as I snatched my pistol from the gravel driveway. “I...that fucking hurt….” 

Yang … laughed? Grinned? The same kind of laugh my dad had when I fell off my bike for the first time, but didn’t want help getting back on.

Yang was immediately by my side, her own body in between me and the Grimm. I got back to my feet, leading Iris away with Ruby, Weiss, and Yang backpedaling while shooting and covering our escape.

No sooner than we had gotten to the ring of forest that surrounded the compound… I heard two fighter jets, Raptors by the look of them, scream over, followed by the telltale sound of a Warthog’s gun firing. 

I counted to ten, and that’s when the whole compound, including all of the Grimm soldiers within, exploded. Nora’s ordnance. I could’ve sworn I heard something like a “Weee!” echo over my radio.

“Maiden…” Weiss was panting. “RWBY is clear, for the moment. Hostage secured and stable.” She looks around, eyeing each of us, lingering on me for a second longer. Her eyes silently ask if I’m okay, to which I gently nod. “Four Huntresses in the green.”

…

“Four Huntresses in the green… I always love hearing that.” Yang’s hand keeps trailing against my ears.

I can feel myself relaxing… even though it’s only mid-morning, threads of sleep start to pull at me. I didn’t sleep that well last night.

“Hey… you gonna fall asleep?” God… for a girl who can be so hot-headed and quick to temper… her voice is magnificently soothing.

I just nod, my eyes still closed. I focus on the gentle rhythm of her heart, the steady rise and fall of her breathing. It’s all slow. Relaxed.

So is mine…

It’s all so easy, so peaceful, that before long… I’m fast asleep.


End file.
